Four Thoughts From Bennis - Thought 4

I have always liked the story of Peter Pan. I remember be mesmerized by the magical portrayal of Peter Pan on TV in the late 50's. Hook, played by Cyril Ritchard, gave me nightmares, but the flying Pan and the music and the adventures of Never Never Land thrilled my imagination. I also remember being appalled in disbelief several years later to find out that a woman had played Peter Pan. Mary Martin did a masterful job of capturing my enthusiasm with Pan's determination, "I won't grow up!"

Peter Pan came to life for me again in Robin Williams' performance in Hook. Peter Pan (Williams) has grown up to be a cut-throat lawyer. Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his two children and Peter must return to Never Never Land to save them. With the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, he must remember how to be Peter Pan again. He battles Captain Hook once again to win the day. As a boy I identified with Mary's Pan and as an adult I resonated with Robin's grown up Pan. In both characters one of the themes that I so enjoyed was the boyish mindset and the playfulness of Pan. One of the keys to the older Pan (Williams) remembering how to be Pan was engaging his imagination and thinking happy thoughts.

A final thought I discovered about effective leadership from Warren Bennis' book, Geeks and Geezers (2002) involves a concept that Bennis calls neoteny. The term neoteny refers to the ability of adults to maintain youthful qualities. Bennis provides the following insight - "Neoteny is the retention of all those wonderful qualities that we associate with youth: curiosity, playfulness, eagerness, fearlessness, warmth. energy - open, willing to take a risk, hungry for knowledge and experience, courageous, eager to see what the new day brings. It is the ability for leaders to reflect the Peter Pan living inside.

It is that liberating attitude of "I won't grow up!" that keeps the mind alive with new adventures and exciting experiences ahead. These are not the qualities of immaturity, but the characteristics of enthusiasm and freshness. These qualities are the ones that people want to follow and be around. I am sure that you have been with a leader in his/her 60s or 70s or even 80s that is still fresh and current. Laughter fills their lives and their eagerness to try new things still attracts others to thier vision.

Bennis, W.G. & Thomas, R.J. (2002) Geeks & geezers: How era, values, and defining moments shape leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

The photo of Peter Pan is the cover of 1915 edition of J.M. Barrie's novel, first published in 1911, illustrated by FD Bedford and retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan